5 reasons to buy a pass to visit New York

1/ Passes offer real savings

• Once you arrive in New York, you’ll want to visit the major attractions, museums, and landmarks—starting with the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, or the Top of the Rock observation deck. The catch? Each attraction charges separate admission. That’s where passes come in. Instead of paying full price for each ticket, a pass bundles multiple attractions at a discounted rate.
• Take the New York City Pass, the best-selling option. It costs around $125 per person and includes entry to five major New York attractions: the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Top of the Rock observation deck (or the Guggenheim Museum), the American Museum of Natural History, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum (or the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum). Do the math: buying these five tickets separately would cost roughly $160. The New York City Pass saves you $35. For two people, that’s $70 saved.
• The same principle applies to the other three New York passes: the New York Pass, the New York Explorer Pass, and the C3 Pass. To compare the differences between each pass, visit our guide to New York passes.

2/ You get reserved access

• Another major benefit: pass holders skip the regular lines at certain attractions through reserved entrances. This saves you valuable time on the ground.
• At the Statue of Liberty ferry, for example, pass holders use a separate, shorter line than general admission visitors. The same applies at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and Empire State Building, where you’ll also enjoy a dedicated entry process.
• Even better: the New York City Pass and C3 Pass let you reserve your visits in advance. The New York Pass and Explorer Pass also offer advance reservations for select attractions, including the Empire State Building. This guarantees your entry on your chosen date and time. When you purchase a pass through our site, you’ll receive instructions on how to make your reservations with passes bought on CNEWYORK.

3/ There’s a pass for everyone

As mentioned, the New York City Pass is the most popular, offering five attractions for around $125. But if you’ve already visited those five or want to see more, other passes are available.

• The New York Pass (not to be confused with the New York City Pass) lets you choose from over 70 different attractions and tours. You pick the pass duration: 1 to 10 days.
• The New York Explorer Pass works differently: the pass is valid for your entire stay, and you choose how many attractions to visit. Pick 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 from over 50 options.
• Depending on what you want to see, consider the C3 Pass, which lets you choose 3 attractions from 11 options.

4/ You avoid currency exchange fees

• If you buy tickets on-site, you’ll pay in dollars and need to exchange currency—losing money to exchange rates and bank fees. With passes, that’s not an issue: passes are priced in euros and you can purchase them with your Visa or Mastercard, just like any other euro transaction. Everything you buy in euros before you leave is money you won’t need to exchange into dollars. That means fewer exchange fees overall.
• With a pass, you don’t need to budget dollars for the included attractions since you’ve already paid in euros upfront, with no exchange fees.

5/ You have backup support

• We offer a wide range of tours and activities in our New York Excursions section, plus all four New York passes:
  • The New York City Pass.
  • The Explorer Pass.
  • The New York Pass.
  • The C3 Pass.
• Purchasing takes just a few clicks and is completely secure. You can also pay with ANCV vacation vouchers if you have them.
• We keep a copy of your pass on file. If you misplace your vouchers or confirmation email, we can resend your pass. This has happened several times before.
• Have questions? Use our contact form. Happy planning, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about passes or New York in general!